Dancing Queen returns
18 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: airplane, comedy, flight, flight delay, Israel, plane, suitcase, travel, trip, vacation
We arrived at the airport and grabbed our luggage off the bus. We said our good-byes to Jacob and made our way to security. We were all standing in line waiting to be cross-examined by the airport personnel when I noticed that the security guards were almost all young girls. They didn’t look too scary to me, so I breathed a sigh of relief. An American soldier in line near me said that everyone calls them “Brittany Spears and her posse.” I wouldn’t be intimidated by Brittany.
As we reached the front of the line, we were all asked a few questions about where we had been, and why we were here, etc, etc, then we had to have our suitcases examined with a fine tooth comb. A young guy x-rayed my suitcase and asked me why I had a bunch of cookies. Cookies? I didn’t remember packing cookies. He instructed me to open my suitcase and I realized that he was seeing all the bars of soap I had bought at the Dead Sea. We both had a good laugh, and then I was on my way.
I stopped to exchange my shekels back to dollars – saving a few for my kids, then before we knew it, we were boarding the plane. Luckily the plane was only about half full, so we all had room to stretch out and find a comfy seat. I slept for about two hours, but I woke up thinking I was riding in a truck going down a Louisiana road. The turbulence continued off and on for the duration of the flight. I watched the virtual map for a while but when the countdown to landing was going up instead of down due to a headwind, I stopped watching. I played Bejeweled and Zuma for a few hours, then watched a couple movies.
I decided to watch Mama Mia which is a musical, and I got really into the movie and was afraid I might start singing along. I’m sure I might have turned a few heads though if in the middle of the night (at least I think it was night) on a darkened plane I started singing out “Dancing Queen!” I tried to restrain myself.
At one point, I got up and went to the back of the plane to ask for a cup of tea, and I seemed to have interrupted a cat fight. Two of the flight attendants who were, shall we say, somewhat flamboyant, were getting into it. One of them started meowing – yes, meowing in the other one’s face. I was about to roll on the floor laughing. I thought about breaking into a rendition of Dancing Queen to break the tension. The entertainment made the 14 hour trip almost bearable.
After a breakfast of what they said was eggs, but I’m not so sure, we finally landed in Atlanta. I was thankful that it wasn’t snowing here like we had feared and hoped for a pleasant second leg of our trip home. I easily breezed through customs and waited on the others from our group to join me at our gate. The braniac customs people decided to pick on Aunt Ginger, the oldest, least threatening, blond American woman of our group. And of course Chase got the third degree – again. He was brutally cross-examined on every leg of our trip. They even asked him for his passport while we were still in the parking lot of the airport! I guess they couldn’t quite figure out his nationality or something.
We settled in to await our final flight in about two hours and we quickly noticed that flight after flight was being delayed. There was a massive snow storm crossing the whole North American continent and the incoming flights from all over were being delayed, which in turn caused the outgoing flights to be delayed. Sure enough, our flight departure time kept being pushed back in 15 minute increments every few minutes. At this point we were all getting extremely grumpy and restless and homesick.
I found a bit of bliss when I turned on my blackberry and got a signal! I had suffered 11 days without my crackberry and I was definitely having withdrawals! I text messaged my daughter before she left for school and getting that little “ily moma” back was well worth the wait (translation: I love you). I then called my husband and woke him up, but I just couldn’t wait to hear his voice! Communicating via email is okay, but actually hearing his raspy morning voice was music to my ears. I couldn’t wait for that plane to take off!
Finally, hours later, after savoring a hot dog and some sweet tea, we were able to board the plane. I found my seat on the tiny, cramped commuter plane and listened as the flight attendant began her speech. She said “Welcome to flight….something or other….headed to…..ah, somewhere in Louisiana.” We were all already incoherent with fatigue and this just sent us off the deep end. We were all laughing so hard we were crying.
She continued her instruction about seatbelts and cabin pressure and then said, “if we lose cabin pressure, after you finish screaming, please put on the oxygen mask from above your seat.” This was followed by “If you need anything you can push the call button above you, but it doesn’t work.” I didn’t know whether to keep laughing or try to get off that plane! I really wanted to go home, so I decided to test my luck. I had to ask her though, “is there anything that doesn’t work?” She responded “only the landing gear.” She was joking….I think.
As we took off, Mr. Phil was behind me joking “We fixin’ to crash!” and all I could do was pray….and laugh some more. I think I might have made some outrageous promises to God at that point that I may have trouble keeping. The flight was smooth and painless and before I knew it we were touching down on Louisiana soil (err, asphalt). I let out a cheer and a big sigh. I was so relieved to be home, that I let go of some tension that I didn’t even realize I was holding onto.
I had had an amazing experience and a life altering journey, but I couldn’t get off that plane fast enough. I grabbed my bags and ran into the airport looking for my husband. When I saw his smile I just melted into his arms and said “take me home!”
Italian leather shoes vs. concrete buildings
16 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: architecture, food, holy sites, Israel, jaffa, jerusalem, pilgrimage, shopping, tel aviv, travel, trip, vacation
I didn’t really wake up until about noon the next day. Well, I had to get up as usual at 6am, but I didn’t mentally come to life until after lunch. We all woke up and packed and loaded up on the bus for our final day in Israel. I got on the bus and quickly went right back to sleep. We were leaving Jerusalem and heading to Tel Aviv to catch our plane later that night. In the mean time, our tour guide had a full day planned for us, but I don’t think any of us was too happy about it. We all just wanted to go home.
I was awakened momentarily to tour a silver workshop, which I truthfully would have rather slept through. We had made several stops along the course of our travels which were purely commercial – the silver shop, the diamond factory – these definitely have no religious value, and not much cultural value. I think maybe our tour guide gets a kickback for promoting these spots. Hey, the guy’s gotta make a living, I guess.
When I woke up again we were in Tel Aviv. We had stopped at a shopping area situated on a pier along the Meditterranean. The site was absolutely beautiful and the weather was perfect. There were people walking and biking along the pier. There were restaurants with outdoor seating and upscale clothing shops. I made my way to the Aroma Cafe (think Israeli Starbucks) and ordered a cappuccino and a gouda cheese sandwich. My lunch was the best thing I had eaten in a week and I instantly felt better. I wondered if part of why I felt so bad all week was due to starvation.
I drank my coffee and sat on the pier people watching for a while. I came to the conclusion that this was definitely a favorite spot for beautiful, fashionable, new moms to shop and push their baby carriages. Looking at all these trendy women that looked they just jumped out of a Vogue magazine, I felt like downright frumpy, white trash. But, I enjoyed my coffee, nonetheless. Then I went and drooled over some Italian leather boots that I just didn’t have room in my carry-on for.
We drove through Tel-Aviv, along the beach and I oohed and ahhed over the beautiful blue water and beautiful bikini clad people in the sand. I vowed to myself to come back here and enjoy this part of Israel one day. We stopped at an elevated part of the city called Old Jaffa where we had an amazing vantage point of the coastline. There were bridal couples up here taking photographs and I could immediately see why. The view was breathtaking. We crossed a little bridge adorned with astrological symbols. There is a sign on the bridge that says if you hold the plaque with your birth sign and make a wish, it will come true. I wished to come back here one day with my family.
Old Jaffa is now part of the southern section of Tel-Aviv and is believed to be one of the oldest port cities in the world. It was inhabited over 9,500 years ago! Just down the hill we entered the St. Peter’s Church in Old Jaffa. This is a beautiful church commemorating St. Peter’s resurrection of the widow Tabitha in Acts. Artwork in the church also reflects the thought that God told Peter not to distinguish between Gentile and Jew.
We saw several more bridal couples and I got really homesick and was missing my hubby. It was so beautiful and romantic here and I wanted so badly to be able to share it with him. I stopped for a moment and gazed out at the Mediterranean. The water was a deep shade of blue that words fail me to describe. It was like looking into a newborn baby’s blue eyes and feeling like you could understand the frailty and the immensity of life all at the same time.
Our guide, Jacob next led us on a walking tour of parts of Tel-Aviv. We walked for several blocks down a busy street that must be called shoppers heaven. It was store after store of upscale clothing, shoes, bath products, organics, jewelry – I felt like I was in the Mecca of materialism! But it was just torture, because our fearless guide just kept walking and I could only drool through the windows. I knew I couldn’t shop anyway, because I had no room in my suitcase for anything else, but I was still pouting.
We were led to a beautiful promenade that cuts through the city. The street was converted to a sidewalk for walkers and bikers complete with park benches and pretty landscaping. Couples were walking hand-in-hand in the evening light, children were riding tricycles and roller skates, and the occasional beggar would call out to us in Hebrew. The area was very culturally diverse, as we saw Jews in their yamurlkes, arabs in their keffiyahs, and even a young man in a t-shirt that said “feed the Christians to the lions.” I felt a strange mixture of emotions – not knowing whether I wanted to run away from him, or punch him.
As we walked down the promenade I wanted to compare the area to Paris, or maybe even New Orleans. Jacob kept pointing out the different types of trees and architecture, and it was nice for a while….but after a few minutes I was getting bored. I said “we just walked passed imported Italian leather shoes and you want me to look at trees and concrete!” I was definitely pouting. I knew my history professor mother would be very disappointed in me at this moment.
Our final stop on our journey was for dinner. We walked to a two story restaurant where we all sat at a large table. The owner was an elderly man and his family and there were photos of them all over the walls. It seems that they had once been a destitute family living in what looked like a refugee camp and were now successful business owners.
It would only be appropriate that we were served hummus and pita bread! We also had tabouli, and falafel, and several other relishes with chicken and beef kabobs, followed by delicious baklava. Even though we were all sick of middle eastern food, it really was delicious. Their claim to the best falafel in the world is true, as far as I’m concerned. Our guide presented us each with a certificate of pilgrimage, we reflected a bit on our trip, and soon it was time to head to the airport.
Yamurkles, cappucino, and communion
15 Dec 2008 1 Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: arab, church of the holy sepulchre, communion, garden tomb, holy sites, jerusalem, pilgrimage, sick, station of the cross, travel, trip, tunnel, vacation, via dolorosa, wailing wall, western wall
I was moving really slowly this morning. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and dragged myself down to the restaurant for some hot tea. I gulped down some eggs to try to energize myself and then begrudgingly boarded the bus for our last full day of touring.
Forgive me if my recollection of the day is hazy, but that’s how the day felt! Our first stop was back to the Temple Mount for a tour of the Western Wall Tunnels. Upon entering, the men had to cover their heads, and I had to laugh at Chase and Cody in their paper, disposable yamurkles. We entered a series of underground labrynths in which excavations had revealed the continuation of the western wall.
We saw one stone which is estimated to be 13.6 x 3.5 x 4.5 meters. Its supposed to weigh 570 tons! I can’t begin to imagine how they got that stone there! We passed one area called “Warren’s Gate” which is a section of the wall that is supposedly the closest point to the “Holy of Holies.” There were Jewish women here praying and crying in what they refer to as “the cave.” To simplify it, the Holy of Holies is considered to the be site of the innermost sanctuary of the Jewish Temple. It is considered the most sacred site, and possibly the house of the Ark of the Covenant and the 10 Commandments. As the site is now under Arab control, the Western Wall is the closest that Jews can get to it. I can imagine that to some, its like standing at the door to heaven, but you can’t get in.
As we exited the tunnel we were escorted by an Israeli soldier through part of the Muslim Quarter, then made our way to the Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa is a street in the Old City that is held to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. The first nine stations of the cross are marked along the way, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I wonder about the accuracy of the sites, and I’m sure, as we’ve seen many times on this trip, that some were arbitrarily chosen, but I get the symbolism.
We traced Jesus’ fateful path through the Old City, beginning with the Monastery of the Flagellation, where Jesus was questioned and condemned by Pilate. A huge crown of thorns adorned the domed ceiling of the chapel. The second station is at the Church of the Sisters of Zion. This is the site of the Arch of Ecce Homo where Pilate showed Jesus to the crowd and Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes.
The third station is small Armenian Catholic Chapel where Jesus first fell on the street. I once watched a science show where they tried to reenact the carrying of a cross on one’s shoulders. The “crash test dummy” was a very fit, 200lb man and he could barely walk 10 steps with the weight of the cross. Eventually they had him carry only the crossbeam and he made it about 100 yards before nearly collapsing. And, this man hadn’t been beaten to near death as Jesus had BEFORE the journey. It is estimated that Jesus had to carry the cross between 0.2 to 0.6 miles.
The fourth state commemorates the meeting between Jesus and his mother. The fifth station recalls the encounter between Jesus and Simon, who was given Jesus’ cross to carry to Golgotha. We were unable to visit this site, as the overseer was out to lunch! The sixth station is a Greek Catholic church in memory of the meeting between Jesus and Veronica, who wiped his face with her veil. Supposedly the imprint of his face was left on the cloth and it has been kept in the Roman Basilica.
At one point during the walk I actually broke down crying. I wasn’t necessarily overcome with sentimentality, but rather with fever. My fortitude was breaking down and I could feel myself getting really sick. I took some more drugs and kept on trucking, though. I felt so selfish when I thought about Jesus having to walk this road after being beaten to a pulp, being humiliated, betrayed, and knowing that death awaited him. How could I feel sorry for myself for even a second? I was embarrassed and wanted to crawl under a rock – and there were plenty to crawl under!
The next three stations commemorate: Jesus’ second fall, Jesus’ meeting with the pious women where he says “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” And, finally, his third fall on the street. Along our journey we were constantly berated by men and children trying to sell us things, “30 postcard 10 sheckle,” “nice Jesus picture,” “prayer shawl 20 sheckles.” Hmmm…Islamic men selling Christian paraphernalia in Jewish territory…okey dokey!
Our final stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is a dark, cold Armenian Christian church controlled by several Christian and secular entities. This complicated arrangement has led to an architectural hodge podge of a building with a confused identity. There is even a small ladder which was used in restoration that remained in the same spot for over a century because of a disagreement on moving it. The church is supposed to the be site of Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified. It also houses the tomb, or sepulcher, where Jesus was said to be buried.
Apparently, after converting to Christianity, Constantine sent his mother Helena to find the burial site of Jesus. She asked around town and the consenting opinion was that he was buried at the site of a temple of the goddess Venus. Helena had the temple destroyed, declared this a holy site, and initiated the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Just how much evidence is available to confirm this as the actual site is very controversial.
We entered the church and were ushered up a very steep, winding concrete staircase. Some of the steps had to be at least two feet tall and it was a difficult climb. Some of our group members chose not to make the trek. At the top is a lavishly decorated altar believed to hold the Rock of Calvary. Beneath the altar is a hole where the cross was believe to have been raised and we were encouraged to kneel and feel the rock in the hole. I did as I was told, but I didn’t feel any great epiphany from it.
To the left of the altar is a statue of Mary where it is believed that Jesus’ body was removed from the cross and given to his family for burial. We then descended a “normal” staircase back to the first floor and I found myself wondering why we couldn’t have used the “normal” stairs for both up and down. But, I’m sure I’m not important enough to argue with the Armenians and the Greeks and the Romans. “Christians” seem to be good at putting up barriers (like steep stairwells) to allowing other “Christians” to find God.
On the first floor we saw The Stone of Anointing, believed to be the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. This is a large, rectangular marble stone over which lots of strange, gothic lamps hang. There is a room holding The Angel’s Stone, believed to have sealed the tomb after Jesus’ burial. The Chapel of Adam is beneath Golgotha and holds a stone visible through a window with a large crack down the middle. The crack is said to have formed during an earthquake at Jesus’ death.
The “actual” tomb is a point of confusion. To the left of the entrance is a square room, or Edicule which holds the tomb. The interior of the tomb is open to visitation and controlled by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic Churches. After standing in line, you enter the small cavernous room in which an alter lies in front of a tomb. To the rear of the Edicule is a stone altar used by the Coptic Orthodox. As I walked passed this altar a man in priestly garments started fussing at me in his language. At least, by his tone, I think he was fussing at me, but I have no idea what I was doing wrong – perhaps he was just wishing me a nice day – though, I doubt it!
It was finally lunch time. I think our tour guide doesn’t get the idea of “lunch,” as we always seem to be eating at 2 or 3 o’clock. We stopped at a quaint little café with an outdoor patio. Other than having to sit outside in the cold wind, it was nice. I ordered the spaghetti, which was good, but it had a flavor I wasn’t used to in Italian food. My cappuccino however, was the best thing I’d ever tasted! I ended up drinking two cups and downed some more Tylenol.
After lunch we did a little shopping. I bought Jimmy a stuffed camel (well, not a real stuffed camel, rather a plush camel) then I drank more hot tea and tried to find a comfortable spot to sit. I have never seen so much concrete and rocks in my life. Our final stop of the day was the Garden Tomb. This is a beautiful garden which holds a tomb thought by some to be the actual burial site of Jesus. A British Major General in the 1880′s discovered the tomb outside the Old City Walls near a rocky hill resembling the face of a skull. As this fits the writings of the gospel, he proposed that this was the real site of Calvary.
Many Protestants were eager for a role in the preservation of holy sites, so they jumped on this possible discovery. While it is a beautiful garden, architecture has proven that the tomb is not from the right historical period and it is more likely that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is closer to the actual burial sight. Despite this evidence, we had a wonderful time in the garden.
To begin with, the garden charges no admittance fee. This was a first for our trip! Yay, Protestants! The garden is maintained by donations. There are winding sidewalks which lead through beautiful flowers and trees. The area is just outside the bustling city walls, but it seemed quite peaceful here. There were several weddings being conducted and people were singing and laughing . I watched as a group of Korean Jews (which I didn’t know existed) had a beautiful, simple wedding ceremony.
We were led to a small area with pews and an altar which had been set up for us to have a communion ceremony. The sun had set and it was getting dark and among all the greenery is was a very serene setting. We sang a few songs (actually, I just listened because my voice was gone), and Bro Gil began the communion ceremony. In the midst of this almost magical moment, the serenity was broken. Suddenly a loud speaker from the Islamic Dome of the Rock began calling its evening prayer.
Bro Gil had to literally yell to complete his sermon. We all exchanged glances as our train of thought was interrupted. My initial reaction was anger. What gives them the right to impose their noise, or worship, or religious views on us? Then I thought, well they have as much right to worship as we do. Yeah, but we aren’t bothering them – they can’t hear us! Well, maybe we are bothering them. Maybe our presence here defiles their holy places. What gives us the right. What gives any of us the right?
I felt myself become a part of the arguments and debates and all out wars that have plagued this land, and our planet for years…thousands of years. All at once I was in the war. I could no longer look at the conflict as an un-opinionated outsider, I could no longer be a conscientious objector – I was now a participant. I had become angry, and I could see my side of the argument, and I wanted to stand up for myself.
A moment later I realized that anger wouldn’t solve anything. Angry words and fists and weapons haven’t solved anything here – ever. So instead I chose a different weapon – I prayed. I prayed harder and harder until I was sure that God could hear me over the noise. I completed our communion service and I felt sure that God was God and we can worship him regardless of whether our background noice is a Muslim call to prayer, the chant of a rabbi, the peal of Protestant church bells or a Catholic latin litany.
We ended our service and returned to the hotel. I immediately crawled into bed and passed out cold – literally, because I was freezing. I was awakened a couple hours later by about 5 women standing over me, taking my temperature, shoving more pills down my mouth, and threatening to take me to an Israeli hospital. I mumbled my objections and went back to sleep.
Shopping!!!
14 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: arab, culture, holy sites, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, middle east, palestine, palestinian, pilgrimage, shop, shopping, travel, trip, vacation
Sunday was our “free day.” While back home, we would have been going to church, here the Shabbat and Arab religious days were over and commerce was kicking back into full gear. We hadn’t made any firm plans for the day, so I didn’t bother setting an alarm. When I finally awoke from my drug induced sleep it was after 10am and Michelle, Chase, and I were the only people left at the hotel.
During our stay at this hotel we had befriended the shop keeper from the hotel gift shop. He was a really nice Arab kid of about 18 and he was a wealth of knowledge about the area – and was eager to share. Ceneye (I’m sure I butchered that – Seen Eye?) had offered to be our “tour guide” and take us shopping on Sunday, and since we didn’t know left from right in this town we took him up on it.
When we walked down to the hotel lobby to hail a cab, the desk clerk told us that he had been left instructions on where to send us. The clerk told the cab driver where to take us (in Hebrew, of course) and we were on our way. I knew we were supposed to meet him at the Jaffa gate, and if I sensed the cab going anywhere else I was prepared to make a run for it! Is it bad not to trust people? Or is that just common sense?
We chatted with the cab driver for a while. He was a very colorful man from Ramallah who, I think at one point in the ride called the Jews the “people of the dog.” He had a wife from Jordan and he offered to take us to his house so she could cook for us. I wasn’t sure what he would do with us after our meal, so obviously we politely declined. He then offered to take us to Jericho. I’m sure he was after the extra cab fare, but heading to a hot-spot of conflict wasn’t on my agenda for the day.
We then asked about his children and his response was very interesting. He told us first about his two sons, telling us their ages and their names. He then went into a long diatribe about the meanings of their names. He was obviously very proud of his sons. Then, almost as an afterthought, he told us he had two daughters as well. I guess the girls weren’t important enough to have meaningful names.
Finally we reached our destination and there was Ceneye waiting for us. He began leading us through a narrow alleyway of small, crowded shops. We passed store after store of Arab owned shops filled with beaded curtains, silk scarves and pashminas, hand beaded jewelry, silver and wooden carvings, and trinket boxes. Of course there were traditional t-shirt shops with everything from “Hard Rock Café, Jerusalem” to “Free Palestinia” to “Jesus is my homeboy.”
We made a few turns and the shops just kept coming – it was like a maze. As much as I was trying to pay attention – I was thoroughly lost! I was becoming more and more convinced that we were going to be kidnapped! Ceneye kept telling us that the “cheaper” shopping was further back off the main streets. Finally we stopped in a shop that was about twice the size of most other shops. Apparently this store was owned by Ceneye’s brother – now things were making sense. Brother brings rich American tourists to spend money in family shop – I think these guys have done this before.
So, shop we do, and Ceneye’s family makes money off of us and everyone is happy. When we entered the store the brothers immediately start asking us if we want tea. “Sure, tea would be great!” They are so hospitable when they know you are about to pay their monthly mortgage. An old man brings us cups of hot tea with mint and says “this very special tea for you.” I can’t help but wonder why its so special. Is it going to make us pass out so they can sell us to a harem? Is it going to reduce our financial inhibitions? I drink mine very slowly so I can see if it has any affect on Michelle first.
We stop in a few other shops and buy some leather “Jesus shoes” for Amanda and an Isreali soccer uniform for my Jill.
I even found a little shop with tons of spices and incense and tea. I could have bought the whole store, but settled on a small jar of schwarma seasoning and some saffron. The store keepers, with their thick Israeli accents, loved to say “lets make a deal” and “okey dokey.” We laughed about this all day.
Our next stop was, according to Ceneye, “the best restaurant in Jerusalem.” I was hoping it was a Ruth’s Chris, or maybe even a Cracker Barrel, but no such luck. We were seated in a small café by an elderly Arab man. He bought us “Coca Cola,” hummus (of course), and a menu. I was starving, but the menu was anything but appetizing. Hmmm…..will it be the veal, the liver, or the pigeon? I almost asked if we could go somewhere else, but I didn’t want to offend the man who might or might not be planning to kidnap me later, so I settled on half a chicken. I had no idea what I was going to be eating.
When our food arrived, it didn’t look too bad. I had baked chicken still on the bone with some rice and carrots. I attempted to eat, but it was really bland and tasteless and I had already sufficiently lost my appetite. I began coughing in earnest and claimed that “I just didn’t feel good,” which was actually the truth. I’ve never taken so much Sudafed in my life. But, I really lost my appetite when Ceneye’s plate arrived with a bird on it. Seriously – a bird! He had some kind of small bird on his plate, stuffed and deheaded. Ugh!!! I really miss America!
At this point it was getting late, so we gathered up all our loot and Ceneye’s brother graciously drove us back to our hotel. We got to meet the brother’s beautiful girlfriend – a doctor from Jordan who trained in Paris and now works as a plastic surgeon in Israel. I think Michelle may have convinced the brother to propose to her.
We arrived back at our hotel safely, unshackled, without being drugged, raped, or kidnapped. I guess the money we spent in their shop was really all they were after. And the brothers really were very nice and full of great information. We bid them farewell and lugged our bags up to our room.
I was exhausted and hungry and in desperate need of more medication, so I asked the desk clerk for directions to a pharmacy. It turned out that there was some kind of shopping center just next to our hotel. I was feeling brave – and really grumpy and tired of people – so I ventured out by myself. It was probably stupid, but how much trouble could I get in when there are guys (and girls) with machine guns standing on every corner?
I walked out of the hotel and made a right down the sidewalk. I entered a covered walkway where there were lots of buses unloading. After going through a metal detector and having my purse x-rayed I entered a glass door and found myself in……a mall! Oh, happy day!! You mean this has been here all this time and I didn’t know about it? I quickly felt my grumpiness and fatigue melt away.
First I stopped in a drug store. I could read the packages, and nothing looked familiar, so I asked the druggist for some Sudafed. She asked me what my symptoms were and then sold me some cold medicine that was about 3 times the strength of anything you can buy in the US. I then walked around the mall and bought a few things. I found a store with beautiful embroidered peasant blouses and flowing skirts – I was in heaven. I bought two bags of clothes for only $100 US dollars. Apparently you can “make a deal” even in the mall.
On the second floor, I found a food court – and they weren’t selling pigeons! I bought the best tasting cappuccino I’ve ever had and some stuffed grape leaves and a pita sandwich. The food was definitely middle eastern, but it was good. I continued my binge with the best donut on earth. It wasn’t sugary sweet like in America, but rather tasted like sweet bread filled with cherry jelly. I was finally full after about a week of virtual starvation.
I sat and people watched for a little while. I made friends with a wonderful, Jewish girl who was born in Hershey, PA and moved to Israel when she was about 5. She said that she lives in a very American neighborhood and went to an English speaking school. She had no accent at all and I would have thought she was an American. One of the things that amazes me most about Israel is the diversity. They say that America is the “melting pot” of the world, but I really think its Israel.
Other than the Palestinians, there really are no native Israelis. The Jewish people who have settled here since WWI
literally came from everywhere: Russia, Africa, South America, North America, around the Middle East, Asia. I’ve never seen so many diverse cultures in one place. If you walk past a military squad you can see a blond hair, blue eyed girl standing next to a Hispanic girl standing next to a black girl standing next to a red head with freckles, standing next to a Korean girl. And the amazing thing to me, is that they don’t call themselves “African-Israeli” or “Mexican-Israeli” like we do in America. They all have one identity, and one common thread – Jewish. We don’t have that sense of common purpose in America.
I noticed lots of people walking around with big duffle bags and suitcases and that’s when I realized that the upper floor of the mall was the central bus station. The majority of the travelers where very young, so I assume that maybe they were traveling to and from military duty. The Israelis require that all young people from 18-22 serve in the military. I remembered that my guide book said to avoid public bus stations as they are likely sites for terrorist activity, so I decided to make my way back to the hotel.
Pizza, Camels, and Mud
13 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: arab, culture, dead sea, holy sites, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, king herod, masada, middle east, mud, palestine, palestinian, pilgrimage, shabbat, travel, trip, vacation
I think today was my best day of the trip so far. Maybe. Its hard to say. This trip has been filled with so many new experiences, that I think it will be quite a while before I’ve determined what has had the biggest impact on me.
We started out the day as usual with breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It was still the Shabbat, and the elevators weren’t working right, so I just took the stairs. Our room is 14 stories above the restaurant – so that was fun! Apparently the restaurant can’t cook on the Shabbat, so we had cold cereal, pastries, cheeses and fruit. I don’t know why serving cold food isn’t considered work – I’m having alot of trouble with this Shabbat thing – how do they draw the line? And who is the judge?
There is this huge group of Russians staying in our hotel and they are very amusing. They look just like Americans – actually better dressed than most of us – but they behave very differently! First of all…oh my….the body odor!!! I guess Americans are overly clean, but these people could stop traffic! As soon as they walk into the dining room I seriously lose my appetite. Secondly, I have never seen people eat so much! There was a young boy – maybe 13 years old – he put 6 pieces of toast (large slices) on his plate! One man had 5 croissants. They wiped out the buffet like buzzards. The hotel owner has had to make sure that our group gets to the restaurant “before de Russians.” I felt like yelling, “The Russians are coming!” Worst of all, they are extremely rude. They will just run over you at the buffet. In the elevators they won’t move over to give you room. Its like no one else exists. I don’t mean to stereotype all Russians – just the ones in our hotel!
Our day started out with about an hour drive toward the Dead Sea. We started out at about 1500′ above sea level and within 30 minutes we were at 1200′ below. I was still fighting a head cold and a terrible sore throat, so the change in altitude really got to me. I felt like my ears were literally going to blow! I had such terrible ripping pressure in my head that all I could do was lie down. I missed the views on the trip and was really disappointed. I popped some Sudafed and Advil and hoped for the best.
By the time we reached Masada I was feeling a little better. Masada is an ancient fortress which was built by King Herod. It is a palace and military base built on the side of a huge mountain. I had seen a documentary about it on the history channel just before my trip, but to actually see it in person was so amazing. I can’t even comprehend how they built this thing – It is huge! We took a cable car up to the top and then hiked around the fortress. The palace was three tiered, literally hanging over the side of the mountain. A few of us climbed down from the top to the middle tier and the view was just breathtaking. I could see the Dead Sea and beautiful desert, rolling mountains. I was a little scared, and it was a fairly tough climb (what goes down, must come up), but it was worth it!
During that exhilerating climb, I realized that of all the amazing things I’ve seen this week – I am most inspired by the ones that are made by God, himself. Sure, I have seen some of the most beautiful, religious sites in the world. I have visited places that have been at the center of religions for millenia. But I realized that these things are all made by man. Should we worship man’s creations? Should we feel enlightened by material things? The places that have made me feel closest to God are not walls, or palaces, or marble altars. This week, I found God on the top of mountains, in the seas, in the sand, and in the sunsets. Unfortunately, I have felt furthest from God around humanity.
We were pretty worn out by the time we made it back down, so we welcomed a short bus ride. We stopped at a youth hostel where we had some great photo ops. We saw the entrance to a cave and I got some very up close pictures of two ibexex (ibex? not sure how to spell that!) One of them was standing on the roof on the hostel eating from the leaves of a tree. There was a holy cat walking around the area as well.
After a quick lunch (consisting of not so great hummus and salad and mystery meat), we had an opportunity to shop in a store specializing in skin care made from the Dead Sea. I got some great deals and I was really excited! Okay, I’ll try to contain myself.
Our next stop was one that I had been looking forward to since I first decided to come to Israel – swimming in the Dead Sea! We unloaded in a large parking lot and then dressed in a crowded shower house. I thought that it was really unfair to have to wear a swimsuit in the middle of December – considering I probably glow in the dark – but it was so worth it! We walked through a picnic area and down a staircase to the beach. The beach was covered in dirt – not sand, and the water is still, like a lake – no waves.
The dark water was a little cool, and the bottom was soft and sandy. In some areas the floor was slippery mud that we rubbed all over our skin. We looked like green sea monsters! I was so tempted to start a mud fight, but it would be really bad to get that salty water in your eyes. When you lie back in the water, you just float, or bob like a cork. It was so cool to just lie there, but it was almost impossible to try to swim, or even turn over. Its like you are fighting gravity. At one point I flipped over on my stomach and really had to work to flip back over. It was a very foreign sensation.
Apparently, white American women must not be too common in the area, because the four girls in our group seemed to cause quite a spectacle. I felt like we were on stage and it made me a bit uncomfortable. American men are not so obvious and outspoken with their…”appreciation” of women. I’ve been to US beaches with much less clothing (and mud) and felt less naked. At one point, one of the men in our group had to come rescue me from a very persistent Jordanian.
The salty water started to burn my legs a little, so I was glad for the warm shower. I bought a huge bottle of water and yay – Pringles! and we loaded up the bus to leave. On the way back to Jerusalem we stopped – get this – at a gas station – and road a camel! The camel guy tried to take Michelle home with him and he said he would give me 6 camels. I said make it 5 and we’ve got a deal! Of course, I was kidding. Though, I think my dad would probably trade her for 6 racehorses, lol!
We got back to the hotel and I took another shower, where I was still finding caked on mud. I took more cold medicine and crashed into bed. Michelle somehow managed to find PIZZA, M&M’s, Coke, and some kind of cold medicine that I think might be illegal in the US! As we vegged out in our room, I decided that she was worth more than a million camels! I think I’ll keep her!
The other side of town
12 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: church, culture, dead sea scrolls, holocaust, holy sites, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, middle east, museum, palestine, palestinian, pilgrimage, travel, trip, vacation, visit
After sleeping for about 10 hours, I awoke feeling pretty good. I ate about 3 plates of food for breakfast and then boarded the bus to begin the day.
We started our day visiting the birthplace of John the Baptist. The area was very beautiful, and the hilltop view was amazing. Next we toured the Shrine of the Book – a museum dedicated to the Dead Sea Scrolls. I was incredibly moved by getting to see these actual, ancient documents.
Next we went to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. I was almost dreading the experience because I knew it was going to be painfully emotional – and it was. But, I’m glad I experienced it. I will never forget the images and the stories. I will forever have a place in my heart for the victims, the survivors, and the heroes who helped put an end to the autrocities.
Seeing the pictures of the children, and hearing their stories was almost more than I could bear. I kept seeing my children’s faces in those photos and I just couldn’t imagine how horrific that must have been. One poem really impacted me – it was written by a boy who would sneak to get food for his mother. He was wondering who would bring her bread if something happened to him. This really brought on the waterworks!
“I will return no more to you, My voice will not be heard from afar. The dust of the street will bury the lost fate of a child.
And only one request will stiffen on my lips: Who, mother mine, who will bring you bread tomorrow?” – Henryka Lazawert: The Little Smuggler
It is a horror that no human should ever have had to go through, and I pray to God that it never happens again. I left with a determination to learn more about some of the terrible events that are occuring even today – like in the Sudan. When we left, I wanted to run (fly) home and hug my children and never let go!
I was emotionally drained, but we were only half-way finished with our day. Our next stop was Bethlehem. We drove to a small parking lot where we left the bus. We were instructed to keep our purses close and we walked through a metal revolving door where we were sized up by overly armed security guards.
We then had to walk about 50 yards through a walkway bordered by a double metal fenced wall. The cement on one side was littered with graffiti like “free Palestine,” “Caged no more,” and I even saw one praising the name of BinLaden. I couldn’t decide if the walls were there to keep people in or to keep people out. For the first time on our trip I was a little scared.
Our guide Jacob, a Jew, was not allowed inside Palestinian territory, therefore we had to board a new bus, and we got a new guide for the day – an Arab Catholic. I immediately felt a very different vibe from this part of Israel. The streets were very dirty – there was trash everywhere and buildings being destructed everywhere we looked. There was graffiti and posters all over the walls. Despite the looks of the buildings, there where nice, expensive cars parked all over the streets.
We were led to the church built over the side of the birth of Jesus. The huge church is overseen by three different Christian groups – the Armenians, the Roman Catholics, and the…..can’t remember. Each section of the church is run by one of the groups, and you can easily see the difference by the decorations and especially by the cleanliness. It immediately caught my eye that they were selling candles inside the church to be lit for prayers. I didn’t think you were supposed to sell things inside the church.
We were led down some stairs into a cave containing the supposed actual rock upon which Jesus was born. We were encouraged to reach into a hole and touch the rock while our guide took our picture. It felt too much like a circus or freak show to me. The entire trip has left me with a cold feeling when I see people cheesing it up for photos in front of holy relics. And, how do they know this is the rock?! I guess its the symbolism that counts.
We then gathered in a corner in the cave where Bro. Gil read a scripture, then we began singing Silent Night. Suddenly a man in a long black robe came running up to us and clapping his hands and yelling “No, Stop, Out!” Before I could comprehend what was happening another man dressed in a police uniform ran in from the other way and the two got into a very heated discussion. I had my video camera running and caught some of it on tape, but I got scared and turned it off.
Apparently, it was the Armenians “turn” to pray and we were not allowed to be within earshot of them. The policeman repremanded the young priest and greatly appologized to us, then we were led to a private room where we could continue our praise service. It was all very amusing, but also a bit frightening. I was so aggrivated that the first – and only – confrontation or ill will we have had on this trip has been a “Christian.” I just have to remind myself that just because you can call yourself a Christian, doesn’t mean you are one. I could say that I am a smurf, but that doesn’t make it true. Millions have been killed in the name of Christianity – but true Christians wouldn’t kill one.
We were seated in a small room with a beautiful mosaic on the wall. I lit the candles and Cherri read to us a portion of the Christmas story. We finally were able to finish our song and I sang as loudly as I could so the “Christians” could hear me. I was thinking that between my video camera and my voice I was likely about to get thrown out of Bethlehem. That would be a story to bring back to Leesville!
Our friendly guide then took us to a large store with everything from jewelry to wooden carvings to “certified relics” from “the holy land.” Call me crazy, but I just couldn’t spend money here. First, I hated that these people (whoever they are) were digging up ancient sites and profiting from their findings. They seemed to have no respect for
history. I don’t care what religion you are – you should understand the impact of research and preservation. Secondly, I just wasn’t sure where my money would go. I was reassured that the store was run by “Christians,” but after what we had just seen, that didn’t hold alot of water with me.
I didn’t go into Palestine with any presumptions, or even expectations – but I was ready to leave. I thought that visiting and seeing these different cultures with my own eyes would make me more understanding and less judgemental – but I think it had the opposite effect. For some reason I feel much more at home and welcome in the Jewish side of Israel. Although….dinner tonight was horrible, and Rhonda found a bug in her water, and our elevator stops on every floor because it is too much work to PUSH A BUTTON on the shabbat! Yeah, seriously – the entire city shuts down on Friday night for Shabbat and they can’t do anything. My very crude, rude, and unacceptable question is – if pushing a button is too much work – who wipes them when they use the bathroom?!!!
I think my grumpy self needs some sleep!
Jerusalem on Sudafed
12 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: arab, culture, gethsemane, holy sites, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, middle east, mount of olives, palestine, palestinian, pilgrimage, temple mount, travel, trip, vacation, wailing wall, western wall
This morning I woke up feeling really icky. I took a hot shower and loaded up with medicine and mentally prepared myself for a grueling day. After breakfast we road the bus to the Old City of Jerusalem. We got to see our first views of the city and when I saw the temple it literally made me gasp. I had heard so many stories and read about the temple my whole life – but to actually get to see it in real life was amazing. I was really astounded by the size of it.
When we first got off the bus we were on the Mount of Olives and we could look across the valley and get a panoramic view of the entire Old City. We were standing directly across from the Eastern Gate of the Wall. The entire area under us on the Mount of Olives was covered with Jewish graves – some thousands of years old.
We saw the City of David and Mount Moriah, where the Dome of the Rock now stands.
We walked down a steep street to the Garden of Gethsemane. On our way there, an Arab man sped passed us in his car with his radio blaring loud music. He then stopped his car right in front of us at the garden and proceded to talk very loudly on his cell phone. It was obvious that he was just trying to be an annoyance and it made me very angry. Had I been in the US I might have said something to him – well, probably not, but I wanted to!
Next we went to a garden with ancient olive trees that were probably standing when Jesus walked through them and wept. The trees were so big that three people could have wrapped their arms around the circumference. We toured the church built on the site, then read from the bible and sang a few songs. It was a very moving experience.
From here, we crossed the valley into the Jewish Quarter. We toured the remains of the ancient temple, and were visited by a few more holy cats. We saw the remains of a huge arch which was so large that when it collapsed it dented the ground. We saw stones from which the temple was built that had to be at least 20 feet long and 6 feet wide – and each row was perfectly even – and they had no cement!
We visited the Temple Institute, where they gave us a very informative lecture about the Temple. We saw ancient artifacts, as well as brand new items which are being assembled for the 3rd temple. We saw a menorrah made of solid gold that is valued at 3 million dollars!
It was very odd to feel like the minority in a city of religious extremists. Most of the men had long coats, top hats, and very long sideburns. The women all had on long black skirts and hair pulled into ponytails – some even covered their heads. We learned that the dress emulated the Polish Nobility from which many of the Jews decended. Seeing this was like taking a time warp!
We stopped for lunch at a small deli where we had pita sandwiches filled with chicken schwarma and – of course – falafel! I think I’ve almost had my fill of the stuff!
Our next stop was one I had greatly anticipated – the Wailing Wall. We had to go through a security checkpoint where they checked our bags and walked us through metal detectors. As we proceeded to the wall, we had to separate from the men – they got about 3/4 of the wall – we got 1/4. There was a tall fence separating us, and some of the women were standing on plastic chairs to look over to the men’s side.
My initial reaction was suprise at how small the wall is. The women’s area was probably only about 40 feet wide. There were women of all ages, races, and apparent socioeconomic status standing around, praying, reading, and socializing. Some of the women standing on the chairs were cheering and singing at the Bar Mitzvahs on the men’s side. There were women begging for money everywhere I turned.
It was not what I expected. I think I was actually disappointed. I expected a more solemn, somber experience. I tried to pray at the wall, but I honestly didn’t feel a spiritual aura at the site. Maybe there was too much chaos. Maybe I expected wailing – and what I got was celebrating. I was supposed to feel as close as possible to the “holy of holies,” but I have felt closer to holiness in my own backyard. I was impressed by thinking about how many prayers and hopes have been pinned on that wall, but I just don’t think geography matters that much to God. He hears our prayers at the wall, in Israel, and even in Leesville!
Our next visit was to a museum with a huge replica of the 2nd wall. It was like the biggest doll house I have ever seen. The model was very detailed and I could almost imagine walking through the streets and visiting the temple.
We finally made it back to the hotel and I couldn’t have been more relieved. I was really feeling bad at this point, so I skipped dinner, pretty much overdosed on all the medicine I could find and went to bed.
Snoopy makes it to Israel
11 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: ancient, bet she'an, culture, food, gabriel, galilee, holy sites, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, lost luggage, mary, nazareth, pilgrimage, ruins, travel, trip, vacation
When we arrived at the hotel that evening I was so gratefully relieved to find my suitcase waiting for me! It had been raining and cold all day and I could not have been happier to see my shower gel and flannel Snoopy pajamas! This was bliss! Dinner was in the hotel again, and then we had a group meeting. We watch a great video about some of the sites we had seen today, then Bro. Gill asked me to sing for the group. With my scratchy throat I sang one of my favorite songs, “If not for your grace.”
After a decent nights sleep, we packed all our things and said goodbye to Tiberias. Tonight we would be in Jerusalem – but not before we had an extremely busy day! Our first stop for the day was Cana in Galilee. We visited the Catholic church built at the site where Jesus was supposed to have turned water into wine. I love old churches, and this was seriously the most beautiful church I had ever seen! It was small and quaint with a center aisle. The roof was painted sky blue with breathtaking frescoes on each wall. I could imagine how beautiful a wedding would be here.
Our next step was Nazareth. We visited Mary’s well. This had to be the most intricately decorated church in the world. Every inch of the building had paintings, sculptures, lighting fixtures, tapestries – it was amazing. The well was at the front of the church, down a small hallway. There was an old set of stairs leading up the side where I could almost imagine Mary decending with her water jar.
We also toured the Basilica of the Announciation, where the angel Gabriel told Mary she would be having a child. We saw the Church of St. Gabriel and the “Synagogue Church,” where Jesus preached on the Book of Joshua. We did a little shopping along the way, then it was back on the bus to Bet She’an.
Bet She’an is the ruins of an ancient city. It is impossible to convey the magnitude of the site, but it held an ancient bathhouse, ampitheater, homes, markets – just an entire city – now in rubble. We saw beautiful mosaics on the floor and detailed carvings in the marble. There were columns which had to be at least maybe 30 feet high and
would take three people to wrap their arms around them – and they were just toppled over like tinker toys. They said the area was destroyed by earthquakes.
We saw an ancient public bathroom, where thanks to Phil, we took some interesting pictures. It was
amazing how advanced their plumbing system was. Bro. Gil, Amy, Cory, Phil, Mary, and I chose to walk up to the top of a large hill. Walking up the stairs to the top was quiet a trek and I was out of breath when I reached to top. There were old roman and egyptian temples and palaces at the top and we had an amazing view from the hill. The fresh squeezed orange juice awaiting us at the bottom was a welcome treat! It was hot and we had hiked at least 3 or 4 miles, so I was beat!
We had a pretty lengthy bus ride ahead of us, but the views along the way were amazing. My poor camera is being put to good use. As we proceeded south, you could see the terrain changing from green and almost tropical, to desert. There were small, sandy mountains everywhere – I’d never seen anything like it. We saw Bedouin settlements on the side of the road. These are nomadic people from Jordan who come into the country and set up tents and call it home. They live in absolute squallor! Jacob says they never bathe and there was trash everywhere. They are apparently a peaceful people, though.
We stopped on the side of the road near a palm tree plantation. We were told to take a few minutes to walk through the
desert and feel and silence of the desert and imagine John the Baptist as he felt the spirit in the solitude. Honestly, it was hard for me to feel anything except the smell of sheep and camels. Across the street there was a – herd? – of camels eating from the trees. A few of them wondered into the highway and caused a traffic jam. A camel traffic jam? Hilarious!! A little boy road up on a donkey wanting to charge us money for taking his picture. I find it hard to believe that his appearance in the middle of nowhere was a coincidence.
We drove past Jericho, but we couldn’t go there because it is controlled by Arabs. I can’t even imagine what treasures must be beneath the sand there. We did pass some military vehicles and a checkpoint, but nothing scary that I might have anticipated.
Eventually we made it to Jerusalem. We got a quick glance of the Dead Sea as we drove around the perimeter of the city. I think our driver took us on a bypass to our hotel, so that he could save the jaw dropping views for tomorrow. We reached our hotel which was located next to a huge statue of a harp which stands high over the city. Our hotel was very clean, European looking. The halls were so narrow, two people would have trouble passing each other. I found our room and had to immediately figure out what to do with all of our things. It was small! Very clean and nice, but made for midgets! We had two small twin beds (smaller than normal twins), which I separated and moved around the furniture a bit. I unpacked my clothes and put them in the drawers because there was no place to put a suitcase. It was cozy though, and the pillows were super fluffy and inviting.
The hotel wasn’t cheap, but they were very stingy with amenities. We had to pay a $100 deposi
t to get a hair dryer, $10 a day to use the internet, and they even charged us for coffee in the dining room – but Bro. Gil quickly put a stop to that! Dinner and breakfast were buffet style in the hotel, like in the last hotel, but unfortunately not as good. The food looked like things we would eat back home – prime rib, rice, pasta salad, oatmeal, pancakes – but the flavors were very different. The coffee and tea tasted bad, too, because their water had a bad smell. I’m still living on bread and hummus!
My throat was killing me, so I cozied up in my Snoopy PJ’s and went to sleep at about 8pm. Hopefully a good nights sleep will do me good!
Holy cats!
10 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: arab, baptism, capernaum, culture, falafel, food, galilee, holy sites, hummus, Israel, jerusalem, jesus, jordan, lost luggage, middle east, pilgrimage, religion, river, travel, trip, vacation
(sorry, I haven’t edited this yet – pictures still to come!)
We arrived at our new hotel in Tiberias at about 6:00pm. I was hoping that our lost luggage might be waiting on us at the front desk, but no such luck. I was very happy though to see that my hotel room was nice and cozy. Michelle and I each had a queen bed with big fluffy feather comforters. I immediately went to the bathroom and turned on the sink – and low and behold – we had hot water!
After getting settled, we made our way to the large dining room for a buffet style dinner featuring…..falafel! In 24 hours I had eaten my weight in falafel, pita bread, and hummus. We ended the evening with a quick meeting, then off to bed.
We were exhausted to senility, but Michelle, Chase, Ginger, Rhonda, and I gathered in our room and began discussing religious denominations, the Arab/Israeli issues, and the book of Revelations – very light subjects for a bedtime discussion! We wound up staying awake until about 2am, and were greatly lamenting it when the wakeup call came at 6am.
We spent the day visiting some of the holy cats of Israel. The first cat greeted us at the entrance to the Mount of Beatitudes. This was a beautiful Catholic compound built at the site where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. At the top of the hill we entered an amazing church(for lack of a better word) with artist’s depictions of Jesus’ famous speech – blessed are the poor in spirit, etc…
Just outside of the round building we stopped for a quick scripture reading. From our vantage point we could see the beautiful gardens and look out over the Sea of Galilee. As we sang Amazing Grace I noticed a Korean lady in the garden who smiled and started singing with us. I was truly touched for the first time on this trip and I don’t think we had a dry eye among us. I know that it is just geography, and that God is everywhere, but I felt a strong connection to the spirit just thinking that I was seeing things that Jesus had seen. I was walking where Jesus had walked!
Unfortunately, the serenity was somewhat interrupted by the fact that the Catholic Church required rather large entrance fees to the site. And of course, we had to walk past the gift shop on our way out – a occurrence that will be repeated at every stop we make throughout our trip! People can manage to commercialize ANYTHING! I’m sure they aren’t the only ones, but it seems to me that the Catholic Church is profiting nicely from the tourism in Israel.
It was back to the bus, and we drove to Tabhga, the place where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. It was also supposed to be the site where Jesus was first spotted after his resurrection. There was a restored Byzantine church which was run by – you guessed it – the Catholic Church. The church was very dark and gothic, but the view from the rocky coast was amazing. Again, there was a friendly, holy cat watching our every move.
Next we went to Jesus’ old stomping grounds, Capernaum. Here we saw an ancient, marble synagogue and excavations of the actual town where Jesus lived and taught. The Roman Catholics have built a very futuristic looking, concrete church over the excavations. It almost looks like a space ship hovering over the site. From the inside, you can apparently look through a glass floor through to the excavations. Of course, we couldn’t go inside the Catholic church without paying, so we passed.
The ruins here looked much different from the ones at Caesarea because they were built from black volcanic rock. The newer synagogue had been built from marble – a staunch contrast. Much of it had been destroyed by earthquakes and pieces were lying all over the place.
On the way out, I had to pay a shekel to pee! It was worth it for a clean bathroom, but I’m sure I know who gets most of that money – and its probably not the old man who scrubs the toilets. The holy cat at this stop was hanging out around the parking lot as we boarded the bus once again.
Next, we went to a dock on the Sea of Galilee where we boarded a wooden boat for a cruise around the lake. The crew welcomed us aboard, then hung an American flag from the back of the boat as they played our National Anthem on their PA system. When the song was over, Steve yelled “play ball” and we all laughed hysterically!
As we cruised, Amy led us in singing some hymns then Bro. Gill reminded us of some of the events that had happened here. As I looked out over the water I wondered how bizarre it would be to see Jesus come walking up to the boat! The surface was as smooth as glass and I could almost imagine him walking across it. Those men must have thought they had lost their minds, though! It was raining and overcast, so our view wasn’t the best, but I think it added to the tranquility of the moment.
We stopped the boat in the middle of the lake and we had a very serene ceremony to spread the ashes of a man who had requested this of his daughter. She wasn’t with us, and none of us knew the man, but it was an honor to carry out this final wish for a fellow human. It was a very moving service.
As we headed back toward land, things lightened up quite a bit as the crew played some traditional Jewish music for us and Jacob taught us a circle dance. We were all having a great time. One of the crew threw out the fishing net, but we came up empty twice.
As I am prone to sea sickness, I was glad to finally get my feet on firm ground. As we disembarked, the crew played “Dancing Queen” and I couldn’t help dancing down the pier. I’ve seen a lot of amazing, religious, historical things that have made a great impression on me – but I don’t think I will EVER forget sailing the Sea of Galilee while listening to Dancing Queen! And of course, two cats were watching my dancing skills.
Through the mandatory gift shop we went, then off to eat a symbolic lunch of bread and fish. We went to a small restaurant on the shore with a covered porch. Despite the rain, we were seated on the porch at long tables. The waiter placed several bowls of various salads or relishes on the tables. These reminded me a lot of Korean food – and actually some of it tasted like Kimchi, especially the carrots and the cabbage. We had pita bread and hummus and then the main course – a fish! A whole fish! With a head and eyes and bones and everything! It looked like they had caught a fish, thrown it in the fryer, then propped it on the plate with some French fries. I opted for my fill of pita bread and had to sit across the room as the others ate their fish.
As I sat listening to the rain and drinking a delicious cup of hot, sweet, mint tea I made friends with the fattest cats I have ever seen! The tabby named Tom was absolutely huge and he knew just how to get his guests to give him scraps of food. He kept the smaller cat in check – which I suppose is why he was half of Tom’s size. I was fighting off a bit of a sore throat, so the tea felt heavenly.
I was glad to leave the fish funeral, though, and it was back on the bus for all of us. Our next stop was one that I knew would be the highlight of my trip. We drove to the Jordan river where John the Baptist had Baptized Jesus. It wasn’t the exact site where Jesus was baptized, but it was the same river, and you could really imagine what it must have been like here 2000 years ago.
I had been baptized when I was eight years old, but I had decided before I left home, that I would be re-baptized in the Jordan. I received a gown and a towel and made my way to a dressing room that had been set up for the thousands (maybe millions?) of baptism ceremonies which are performed here. It was raining, and the air was cool but the river was beautiful and I was determined to do this.
I thought Bro Gil was going to cry when he hit that cold water! The color immediately left his face and I almost felt guilty for making him do this! He performed several baptisms before me and as I watched I was moved to tears and found myself in deep reflection. I was last in line, but it was now my turn.
The water was absolutely freezing, but I took a deep breath and literally jumped in. I was crying and laughing all at the same time. I didn’t feel cold or hot or anything except happiness and peace. I am always cold and I usually shiver violently when I’m cold – but I didn’t shiver. I experienced a calm that I just can’t put into words. It may sound silly – but I am sure that I was filled with a love for and from God that kept me from being cold. This was truly something that I think will be one of the most important moments of my life.
From the top of the world to the end of the world
08 Dec 2008 Leave a Comment
in Trip to Israel Tags: ceasarea, culture, food, holy sites, Israel, jesus, lost luggage, meditteranean, middle east, palestine, pilgrimage, plane, travel, trip, vacation
My eyes popped open this morning at the very decent hour of 4am and I was raring to go. That would have been 9pm central time, so I can’t explain my chipperness (not a word, but you get my drift). I threw on some clothes and walked down stairs. I still couldn’t see much because it was dark out, but I started walking down the street. 
Our hotel was oceanfront (err, sea-front), but you first had to cross a small street and a beautifully landscaped walking path to reach the water. From the path, the beach was down about 20 steps, so basically the beach was bordered by a tall natural sea wall. It took me a few minutes to find the staircase, but there was definitely no other way down to the water without tumbling down a steep cliff (hence the sign!)
I was hoping to sea the sunrise, but I realized that the beach was in the west. I walked along the beach for about an hour, getting soaking wet in the process. The sand was soft and smooth with no shells that I could see, and the water was extremely warm. It was so beautiful that I just wanted to jump into the water, but I figured it best to head back to the hotel and eat breakfast.
Breakfast was good, but different. No poptarts or toaster streudels today – instead we had tuna fish! Not kidding! There were several types of fish – and I don’t think all of them were cooked – soft cheeses, bread, hard boiled eggs, and fruit. It was good though, and the coffee was so delicious that I had three cups and appeared to have Parkinson’s disease for the next two hours. (see videos for evidence!)
After breakfast, we loaded up the bus and hit the road. Our friendly tour guide Jacob (pronounce Ya-cov) gave us all a hat, and explained that “Shalom” means “Peace.” He said that Jesus was one of the first hippies because he taught people to love one another and spread peace. I doubt that he smoked weed, though!
Our first stop was Ceasarea, the site of the ancient harbor built by Harod. The port was apparently destroyed by a typhoon long ago, and was only discovered about 30 years ago. I am amazed and saddened that these ancient structures are now exposed to the open, salty air – and we tourist can just walk all over them! At this rate, my own children may never get to see them!
At the ampitheater, Amy sang for us on the marble stage. We walked into the hippodrome where they had horse races, and then toured the bath houses where the men had “full service” treatments. Before leaving we visited an “Antik” store – yeah, and you can guess what they sell. I had to wonder just how authentic this stuff was, though. I was amazed at the sites, but I couldn’t help noticing the machine gun fire in the not too far off distance. Our guide said it was construction work, but I don’t think so!
Next on the tour was the aquaduct. This was the most amazing view of the Meditteranean, and we took some great photos. As we were getting back
on the bus, a couple pulled up in a white van, opened the trunk, and pulled out a portable store of every cheap souvenir you could imagine. I had joked about buying my kids a shirt that says “my mommy went to Israel and all I got was this t-shirt” – well, they actually sold one! I didn’t buy it, though! This was like Israel’s version of the guy who sells beef jerky and rebel flags on the side of the road.
Our next stop actually caused me to gasp out loud. In our world of television and instant gratification it is hard to be impressed, but I was left breathless. We went to Mount Carmel, which was the site of a…. We walked up a staircase to the top of the building and as I turned the corner, I could see the entire world! From here, you could literally see the entire Jezreel valley. It was similar to the view from an airplane, but my words, and even my photos can’t do it justice.
As we left the site, we walked through the gift store where they sold little bottles of holy water for $5.00. I wonder if the water gets more “holy” the more you pay? We were sent on our way by a very unhappy cat who wouldn’t stop meowing. In fact, I’ve never seen so many cats as I’ve seen in Israel. And they are all very fat! I think I’ll stop saying “holy cow” and start saying “holy cat.”
We had been going full speed since 8am and it was now about 1pm – so needless to say, I was starved! We went to a house/restaurant run by some Druze women who served us falafel sandwiches and a huge assortment of relishes and sauces. As a major fan a falafel, I was quite pleased! I can’t speak for everyone else in the group, but I didn’t hear any complaints.
After lunch we traveled to the end of the world – well sort of. We toured Megiddo – the site of the Battle of Armeggedon. After a short video intro we headed down into the underground water system. The journey was an exhausting trek up – well, a long way – and then down and even longer one! By the time we were done, ALL of us were pretty winded and had sore legs. Poor Ginger was a trooper!
We all collapsed into the bus for a scenic drive to our next overnight destination – Tiberias. We passed some scary looking military convoys and people walking down the road with machine guns. We saw some palistinian housing area where they built one house on top of another on top of another. Amazingly, they use solar power in the houses here!
We make it to Tiberias where we get a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilea. Then, most importantly we stop at a drug store and I get to buy toothpaste and deodorant!!! Yay! (Yeah, still no word on the suitcase, but at least now I won’t stink.)
Next stop – Michelle’s idea of heaven – a diamond store!!! I fell in love with this necklace called a Jerusalem cross. It was a cross pendant with four small crosses in each corner – the pendant opens up into a necklace with four small cross pendants – I can’t really explain it – but it was beautiful! We all oohed and ahhed for a while, but I made it out with my bank account intact!
Finally, on the brink of exhaustion we made it to our hotel!
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